Health Tips
Treating Exercise Aches and Pains
By
Aug 28, 2010 - 11:47:59 AM

Sometimes it’s better to reach for a patch (instead of a pill)

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - The Honolulu Marathon, arguably the most important international annual athletic competition in Hawaii, attracted a number of elite runners from around the world and quite a few not so world class weekend warriors—also from around the globe.

Fortunately, this year there were no serious injuries. However, I think it’s safe to say that for both the pros and the average runners, there were quite a few sore muscles, shin splints, strained ligaments, aching feet and undoubtedly some hangovers the next day.

Honolulu-based Katherine Nichols (pictured above), one Hawaii’s top female triathletes in her over-forty age group, has been running track long before she was on the intercollegiate women’s cross country and track teams during her UCLA days. A single mom with two teenagers, she’s run the Honolulu Marathon and has been a top triathlon finisher for two decades.

Katherine has some common sense advice when it comes to dealing with training-induced pain:

For muscle soreness incurred a day or two after a strenuous workout (or a race) she suggests hitting the nearest Jacuzzi or taking a light swim to work out the lactic acid. “Don’t forget to rest your body and get a good night’s sleep,” Give your body a chance to recover,” she adds. For soreness she’ll use an analgesic patch on the affected area. Whereas some experts don’t advocate taking an anti-inflammatory (such as Aleve, Advil, Motrin, ibuprofen) because of studies that indicate the medication could delay recovery, Katherine’s experience is different. “I’ll take an analgesic in moderation. I’ve not found it delays my recovery.”

Acute strains, while less frequent than sore muscles, occur when a tendon or muscle is torn or stretched beyond its normal limits. “When this occurs,” says Katherine, “you will definitely experience pain, tenderness and swelling.” Often acute strain is the preserve of weekend warriors who may have taken on more in the exercise department than they are ready for. With an acute strain you can apply ice to the area but never for more than 20 minutes at a time.

Here I suggest you may also consider an anti-inflammatory medication such as aspirin or Tylenol for temporary relief. (Be sure and take the medication as directed on the label.).

A word of caution.

Taking an oral analgesic is not without risk. A recent CDC study reported that hospital emergency rooms saw an estimated 1 million visits from people abusing both over-the-counter and prescription medicines -- mostly painkillers and sedatives.

The upshot: Too much aspirin can be toxic!

An aspirin overdose or higher dosage than recommended can cause serious health issues. It is one of the leading causes of gastrointestinal tract complications, including ulcers, minor and major bleeding. It also presents a small but serious risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Some of the most common aspirin side effects are stomach pain, heart burn, nausea and vomiting.

In short, an oral analgesic is not for everyone. That’s where the over-the-counter, transdermal or pain patch comes in. These are manufactured by J&J, Sanofi and a Japanese company called Hisamitsu which markets them under the Salonpas brand. They can be found in drug, big box and convenience stores. The formulations of these brands vary.

This patch differs from the other products because it contains methyl salicylate, an aspirin-like substance known as an NSAID. It’s also the only over-the-counter FDA approved patch on the market. Katherine has been using these products for seven years, particularly after a tough race or a nasty sprain.

Rewind back to last year’s Honolulu Marathon. I recall a story in the Honolulu Advertiser about the female division winner, Svetlana Zakharova, whom the paper reported, had tweaked her knee during her training leading up to the race. The article said she applied a patch to ease the soreness and by the day of the race she didn't feel any pain.

That said, if you have serious pain that goes beyond garden variety muscle soreness it’s best to try and identify the precise activity that caused the pain and keep notes, after a workout of what exactly brought it on. Over-the-counter, anti-inflammatory meds are there for your relief but you don’t want to use them to mask your symptoms and simply aggravate the injury.

If after two weeks you’re acute pain issues aren’t resolving themselves, it’s time to consult a sports medicine doc or an experienced trainer on steps you can take to avoid further damage and of course, heal faster.

Training hard is one thing but abuse is something you don’t want to impose on yourself. Life is way too short.

Bradley J. Willcox MD, MSc, CAQ Geriatrics is a US National Institutes of Health-funded scientist in Geriatrics at the Pacific Health Research Institute where he is Associate Director, Research on Aging, is also Principal Investigator of the Hawaii Lifespan Study and co-Principal Investigator of the Okinawa Centenarian Study, two of the largest studies of aging and longevity in the world. He trained in Medicine at the University of Toronto, Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic and Geriatric Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

A prolific writer, his work has appeared in prestigious medical journals including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of the American Medical Association, and the New England Journal of Medicine.

An amateur hockey player and ocean swimmer, Dr. Willcox is also a NY Times best-selling author of The Okinawa Program, a book on healthy aging and longevity. His research has appeared in cover articles of Time Magazine, Time Asia and National Geographic and is part of a recent award-winning BBC documentary. He’s also appeared as a guest on nationally televised programs and other popular media including Oprah, Good Morning America, CBS News, CNN and the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today and many others.

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